serve the regular afternoon tea to the soldier boys and their friends."

"Oh, it just occurred to me," Mollie explained, "that perhaps the boys had
met some girls in town they liked better than they like us and had gotten
up a conspiracy--to--to--quarrel with us--"

"What a brilliant idea!" scoffed Grace. "Especially as the boys have been
following us around like Mary's little lamb, and have scared all the other
boys away."

"And without being conceited at all," added Amy, with a chuckle, "the
girls I've seen around the town really aren't calculated to steal their
hearts away."

"In that case, haven't we still got Sergeant Mullins?" chuckled Betty.

They laughed, and Mollie added, as they started to dress for the
afternoon:

"I wonder if the boys really expected that we wouldn't go to this special
bayonet drill to-morrow--especially when we've been longing to see one for
ages--just because Sergeant Mullins invited us?"

"I'm sure I don't know," said Betty carelessly. "But it really doesn't
matter since we're going anyway!"




CHAPTER IX